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Hurts So Good

Spring is playing cat and mouse with us this week -- with crowds shifting between treadmill and running path with each fluctuation of thermometer -- but clearly running season is at hand. It's time, then, for my annual love affair with The Stick. I've found that if I take the time to rub this crazy rod over any troublesome leg muscle, before and after running, I can ward off the kind of early season pain and injury that has hobbled -- or halted -- my spring running in the past before it even got going.

It's really dead simple (and vaguely sex toy-like): Just a mildly flexible, dense plastic rod; but the effect is uncannily like deep tissue massage. The operative benefit is warm muscles before you hit the path in chilly weather, and, presumably quick dissipation of lactic acid immediately after.

For the record, I actually learned about The Stick from a yogi friend, so it's not exclusively a runners thing. I gather Phil Jackson, Zen meditator and superstar NBA coach, is also a big fan. You can pick one up in New York at Jack Rabbit Sports on 14th street for $19.95. Way cheaper than a weekly sports massage, though some things are certainly lost in translation.